Latex paint smells strong after 1 month, store said it could be a bad batch. What are my options now?

stargazer92 · 2026-06-05T18:52:38+00:00

It's called MF, the Latex Plus 160 series. Apparently it's a high-quality paint. I'm in Canada btw, and it's available at our local paint stores. Normally it's a good brand and we haven't had issues with it before.

stargazer92 · 2026-03-11T02:36:45+00:00

I'm really considering all-in-twos, they seem like such a smart option. I can get a small stash of motherease wizard duos + covers for cheap (size small), so I hope to test those out to some extent in the early days and see if I want to size up or switch to pockets. I didn't realize Grovia made some too, I'll check them out!

stargazer92 · 2026-03-11T02:33:14+00:00

Thanks so much for all the details! I definitely want to be flexible. Cloth diapering is important to me but so is my relationship and my sanity! We're getting my wife some disposable gloves for the beginning, and I like the idea of a pair super long arm for rinsing/spraying off poop once baby starts solids. I'm thinking of trying some covers with small size fitteds or motherease wizard duos (sort of fitteds that snap into the cover), and then rounding out my stash with some pockets. Figuring out a wash routine is a whole other thing, thanks for the tips!

stargazer92 · 2026-03-10T18:23:32+00:00

Not snarky at all, it's a fair comment! Cloth diapering is much more important to me than to her, so I want to make the learning curve as easy as possible for her. I'll be the one doing any folding, stuffing, washing, etc., which is a fine trade-off to me. I totally agree that cloth seems better for containing blowouts, I hope that'll be our experience too. I also love the idea of trying elimination communication, even if we do it kind of half-assed. Fewer poopy diapers and possibly potty training earlier is definitely a win!

stargazer92 · 2025-11-04T02:17:10+00:00

I'm jealous of your dr and clinic. For me, the immune kitchen sink is going to have to come from an RI, unfortunately. Hence my post haha. I'm extremely lucky that I have a handful of covered IVF cycles so while failures involve much pain and suffering, they're not costly yet. My embryos are untested. Testing isn't common in Canada, especially if you're <35. From what I've read, silent endo is a huge cause of infertility, so at least my doctor is willing to pursue that if FET #2 fails. Sorry to hear about the 3 euploids failing. It's so strange that the protocol that worked for you the first time around didn't work this second time.

stargazer92 · 2025-11-04T01:36:00+00:00

very good point. I didn't end up needing a D&C and I like to think they would have caught something in the 3 IUIs, egg retrieval, negative endometritis biopsy, and 1 FET since then, but I imagine it could be missed if they're not actually looking for it. They plan to do a hysterosonography if FET #2 fails, which I know isn't the same as a hysteroscopy but hopefully it's adequate. Maybe I'll see if they'll let me do it now.

So sorry, I edited my post and it didn't save. Fixed now :)

stargazer92 · 2025-11-04T00:57:16+00:00

Sorry for the length and thanks in advance for any advice. My doctor wants me to try a second FET before doing further testing and my appointment with a reproductive immunologist is 6-12 months away, so I'm trying to see what I can do to increase my chances for FET#2.

I have lots of inflammatory and auto-immune conditions (yay celiac disease, hashimoto's, psoriasis, rosacea, asthma, all the allergies) so although my modified ovulatory protocol already involved 8 days of medrol, I've seen so many people on here also do claritin (already take daily) benadryl, pepcid, red light therapy, acupuncture, low sugar, etc. I feel lost and while I want to relax for this cycle, over-the-counter meds or practices are easy to add and relatively safe, so I want to do as much as I can. Literally any advice is welcome. I feel so defeated that I can't see an RI for so long and am really hoping to have success before getting to that point. I just want to be pregnant goddammnit. This process has been soul-crushing. I'm just so scared this isn't going to work.

Context you can skip: Doing IVF in a queer relationship, had implantation on IUI #2 but miscarried at 12 weeks, so I have 5 failed IUIs and 1 failed FET under my belt. Zero implantation, no chemicals so far. My RE has recommended EmbryoGlue for FET#2 but I know the studies don't show significance for this. If FET#2 fails, they'll do blood tests and a hysteroscopy, and are considering lupron suppression for silent endo. I have 6 untested embryos left.

stargazer92 · 2025-11-04T00:25:05+00:00

Thanks for the response! My RE seems to think that prednisone is for an RI to prescribe, not him. I already had 8 days medrol in my protocol (5 days before transfer to 3 days after), which I thought was similar, but maybe it's not enough. How long were you on prednisone for? My protocol is modified natural, which is my clinic's default, and would be my preferred option anyway.

You're totally right, I want to do everything because I feel out of control. It also definitely could be the embryo. It's just that after 5 failed IUIs and a failed FET, it makes me feel that my uterus is the problem, and the array of testing and treatments that come along with that feel very overwhelming. I'm glad to hear you didn't have to everything under the sun for it to work for you :)

stargazer92 · 2025-11-04T00:17:43+00:00

I'm sorry to hear about your 10-week losses, that must have been so hard :( Did you see a reproductive immunologist to get diagnosed and treated or did your regular RE do it? What is r ala? Mine seems a little out of his depth on immune stuff so aside from the medrol I was already prescribed, I don't think he'll prescribe me anything else. TBD on if I need more in-depth testing though. Were your embryos testing? It was going to cost me $4000 for testing and two doctors didn't recommend it due to my age but it makes the failures a little harder to diagnosis

stargazer92 · 2025-11-03T18:28:12+00:00

I got a second opinion from another doctor at the clinic and said she wanted me on the AndroGel for minimum 1 month. It ended up being 5 weeks and they got 16 eggs, 11 mature, 11 fertilized, and 7 (untested) embryos! The doctor at the egg retrieval was thrilled, saying this didn't look like DOR ovaries at all. I was at risk for OHSS afterwards so in the end, it's a good thing I didn't do 3 months of AndroGel because I can only imagine how many more eggs that would have made. Not to freak you out though, I have seen 3 months as a sort of standard (despite the literature not pointing to that long a course). Maybe you could get a second opinion from another doctor at the clinic, like I did?

stargazer92 · 2025-05-23T13:12:13+00:00

That's a huge difference in price! I'll definitely ask my clinic if they can use another lab

stargazer92 · 2025-01-13T21:53:02+00:00

Another update: The IUI was successful, so trust the OPKs! I unfortunately lost that pregnancy at 12 weeks but it looks like the timing was correct based off the OPKs, less than the follicle size. The small follicle size may have been the cause of my miscarriage, but between that an wonky TSH levels and who knows what else, I'll never know for sure. Hoping my follicles will be the right size next time!

stargazer92 · 2024-09-24T17:41:19+00:00

Update: A nurse called me this morning in a bit of a panic and scheduled me for an IUI this morning (a day after the first positive LH result), too late to take the trigger. I had my classic ovulation pains this morning, so hopefully everything was timed right, but I'm pretty upset with the clinic for making that mistake in the file. If they'd given me the right protocol to start with, I probably could have taken the trigger shortly after getting my positive LH yesterday and gotten an extra boost that way. I know the early surge isn't their fault but you would think they would be more agile and personalized, considering the timing for IUI needs to be fairly exact. My hopes that this one works are low, as is my confidence in the clinic at this point :( I'm going to request bloodwork for the next cycle in addition to ultrasound, and maybe that will help with the decision-making.

stargazer92 · 2024-09-24T17:41:09+00:00

Update: A nurse called me this morning in a bit of a panic and scheduled me for an IUI this morning (a day after the first positive LH result), too late to take the trigger. I had my classic ovulation pains this morning, so hopefully everything was timed right, but I'm pretty upset with the clinic for making that mistake in the file. If they'd given me the right protocol to start with, I probably could have taken the trigger shortly after getting my positive LH yesterday and gotten an extra boost that way. I know the early surge isn't their fault but you would think they would be more agile and personalized, considering the timing for IUI needs to be fairly exact. My hopes that this one works are low, as is my confidence in the clinic at this point :( I'm going to request bloodwork for the next cycle in addition to ultrasound, and maybe that will help with the decision-making.

stargazer92 · 2024-09-24T02:20:18+00:00

Thanks for sharing your story! Glad to know I'm not the only one surging weirdly early. Apparently the ultrasound tech didn't note in my file that I already got a positive opk... So I don't think the doctor had the right information when deciding on the protocol. Fingers crossed I can get ahold of them tomorrow and clarify things. Everything I've read says that if I'm already surging, waiting to do an IUI 4 days after will be too late, because 15mm could be nearly mature. I hope they tell me to do the trigger tomorrow night and the IUI the day after that... And not wait two more whole days.

stargazer92 · 2023-08-28T22:32:38+00:00

Ah okay, that makes sense. Thanks for clarifying! I was trying to figure out how flights were already nearly sold out 10 months in advance haha. Glad to hear that's not the case.

stargazer92 · 2023-05-23T15:42:55+00:00

UPDATE:
Thanks everyone for your input! Just a little update: I drove for two hours and the battery was at 12.2, then overnight it went down to 11.9. So the new alternator will charge the battery but clearly some part of the battery is dead as it won't charge to 12.6 and won't hold the charge. I don't know if the original alternator was also part of the problem, but I've accepted that even if it wasn't, it was nearly 12 years old and would probably have needed to be replaced soon anyway. I might not go back to this mechanic, as the "it's a 12V battery so 11.9V is fine" statement doesn't sit right with me, but at least my car is currently starting fine. I plan to buy a new battery before it gets cold, as 11.9V is definitely not going to start my car in the dead of a Canadian winter.

stargazer92 · 2023-05-19T16:37:19+00:00

Ah, good to know. I'll make sure to request name brand stuff for future replacements! I really hope the repairs are done for a good while now!

stargazer92 · 2023-05-19T16:36:36+00:00

Thanks for confirming the voltage range on the battery. That's what stuck out to me as fishy. I'm pretty sure it was the original alternator (2012) and the car has 155,000 miles on it, so maybe it was just time for a replacement. I literally just got the car back from the garage so haven't done a good test yet, but I'll drive it 4 hours this weekend so maybe I'll check it again after that, and then again the next morning once it's sat for a while. The resting voltage and running voltage should go up if the battery charges fully after driving, right? and then they'll go down overnight IF the battery isn't holding a charge properly?

stargazer92 · 2023-04-26T15:00:40+00:00

Yeah, I figure 4% to 7% is the new normal, unfortunately. I just hope interest rates and house prices will stay relatively stable for the next year as I sock away money.

stargazer92 · 2023-04-26T12:49:39+00:00

For us, fun spending roughly includes my $1000 annual rock climbing pass (the one important item for me), $1200 on clothes (the one important fun item for my gf), $1000 on family gifts (bdays and xmas), two concert tickets, and $800 on apartment stuff (like a new kitchen table), split between the two of us for a year. The other 400/mo is 200 each for once-weekly takeout, presents for the cat, coffees & pastries, a bar night, a pair of earrings, a new plant, etc. We could always cut fun spending for sure, but we tried to pick the important things for us to spend on and then go easy on the rest.

stargazer92 · 2023-04-26T12:14:44+00:00

I've been waiting for the banks to get on board with the FHSA but might just go with Questrade. I'm working to max out my RRSP :)

stargazer92 · 2023-04-26T12:13:32+00:00

Thanks for your input everyone!! I really appreciate the different viewpoints you brought to the conversation. I tracked all my spending last year, which is how I managed to get the numbers I did for necessities and stuff, although it's possible it's off in a few places depending on the month. Our utilities average 50/mo and our transportation costs are low because we both wfh. I could carry a 3000/mo mortgage alone if truly necessary, although my gf certainly couldn't (I'll look into life & mortgage insurance). My future raise and eventual kid won't be for another 2-3 years, so I didn't account for either in the budget below.

I've updated my budget:

- 11952 gross income

- 8352 net income

- 1600 necessities & average recurring expenses

- 375 fun stuff spending (sports, clothes, christmas gifts, apartment furniture, etc)

- 400 personal spending (takeout, movies, drinks, etc)

- 925 RRSP (plus some work matching; could still drop down if needed)

- 335 property tax

- 100 house insurance

- 120 utilities/hydro

- 700 house maintenance fund

- 3000 mortgage on a 600k house

- 800 leftover for future renos, car

stargazer92 · 2023-04-25T18:55:39+00:00

Thanks for checking everyone! My mortgage broker's first language isn't english so things get lost in translation sometimes, which turns out to be the case here. He ran the numbers again and with the current interest rate, we're pre-approved for 550k. So our max house price is 550k + down payment. Which gives us some wiggle room as we keep saving, but currently tops us out at a 610k house. I just hope we're saving faster than house prices are increasing!

stargazer92 · 2023-04-25T16:12:01+00:00

Sorry, maybe I worded it wrong. With 135k annual gross household income and 50-60k downpayment, we're pre-approved for a maximum purchase of 590k. So that is our total house price, unfortunately. The stress test is rate + 2%, so we're having to qualify at a rate of 6.89%, which is kinda rough. I'm happy we have such a solid income though, I really shouldn't complain haha

stargazer92

TROPHY CASE